


Griffin

by Opal_Fossils



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: for hay, james apologises, james isnt that bad, no ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 18:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17310062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Opal_Fossils/pseuds/Opal_Fossils
Summary: James agrees to participate in Kinkade's documentary about the MFE Pilots and their experiences but what he did not sign up for the emotional baggage of his past. He talks to some kids and remembers about being a kid himself..





	Griffin

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> I wrote this for Hay (@Galrakcith) for 2 reasons  
> 1\. She is amazing and deserves the world thank you for existing Hay  
> 2\. She stans James but there isn't much content out there for him so I tried to fill the gaps in his life.

“Come in”

James closed his drawer and stood up from his seat as his door was opened and Ryan entered, camera following behind eagerly. “What can I do for you buddy?” He asked, closing the door and gesturing for his guest to sit on the small couch he had been graciously allowed in the bare Atlas room.

“I was hoping you would take part in my documentary series. I aim to chronicle our lives and experiences to help show what it’s like for the next generation. Would you be able to do an interview about being an MFE Pilot?” He looked at his friend with nonchalance but James noticed the tell-tale signs of excitement; strangely they were similar to how he felt when he was faced with the prospect of another mission or simply a trip in his MFE Jet.

As much as he connected with Ryan he couldn’t pass up the chance for a little mischief, “Hmmmm it depends, is Rizavi helping you again?” He put on his most placid face as he watched Ryan conceive the best response, if the pilot thing didn’t work out he could definitely have a career in acting he thought to himself.

“She isn’t currently planning on working with us but if you wanted I could try to get her on board?”

James laughed before lightly touching Ryan’s shoulder, “I’m in.”

 

After a traditionally lengthy and oversimplified Kinkade brief they were ready to begin. The star of the documentary swivelled on his chair after ensuring his loop of hair was secure in its position and smiled at the camera, “Am I sitting right?” He fidgeted in his seat, searching for the right position before a reassuring hand touched his knee.

“Just be yourself. Show them the confident leader who defended Earth. You can do it Griffin.”

James smiled as he settled into his seat, he could do this, he was James Griffin, MFE Pilot and member of the Atlas. With a nod to Kinkade it began.

“Hello audience and welcome to our look into the life of my fellow MFE pilot James Griffin. James what can you tell us about your experience and journey as a pilot?”

The immediate dive into the interview, a complete disregard to any form of pleasantries, threw James but he swiftly recovered and shined a smile at the camera, “Hey I’m James Griffin and this is my story, guess it’d be best if I started from the start?” He smiled candidly as he gathered his thoughts.

“My father was born and raised in Texas, not too far from the Garrison. He had some dreams but his parents got old and he was forced to take care of them. My mother… People don’t seem to expect it but she’s actually from Iraq,” his remark was supported by Ryan’s eyebrows raising in suprise, “She left with her brother for a better life, strangely they came to America” he paused, unclear whether he was waiting for a laugh or simply readying himself for the story, “her brother, my uncle, didn’t survive the journey so she was alone in a foreign world.”

He looked down, fiddling with his fingers but before Ryan could intervene he smiled and continued, “Then she met my father and they fell in love. A few years later and they had a beautiful child in their lives” as his eye caught the camera he put on his best Lance smile, a big fan of the Red Paladin’s capabilities on screen and in the field.

“My parents were great people. A bit strict but I think that helped me to adjust to the Garrison life. They always made me happy, even when things got tough at home” his voice betrayed him as he spoke, revealing his emotions, “I’m sorry it’s just.. the invasion..” He closed his eyes and stared up, desperately hoping that he could keep the tears away before leaping up from his seat, “I just need a-a breather” He pushed open the door and departed, leaving Ryan and the camera behind. 

The pilot hid furtively in the emptiest corridors he could find, hoping he could find a spot alone within the confines of the grey and orange of the Atlas but after an eternity of walking he found himself on the training deck. Surrounded by a horde of tottering, alien infants- and Acxa.

She pushed through the children until she got to James but before either could speak two tiny fangs dug into her neck, followed by a pair of green, four fingered, hands climbing up her back. The attack seemed to have little effect on her as she casually reached back and picked the child up by their collar and gently brought them to the floor; not having learnt their lesson the child chose to run around Acxa's ankle instead.

“Hello James” She greeted with a small wave. Noticing his confusion she added, “These children are waiting here while the paladins clear their home. I was placed on babysitting duty” She patted the head of the child at her feet, just missing the snap of their teeth, “as you can see it is great fun.”

 

James found himself smiling despite the sadness he had just endured, he had a sweet spot for children which hardly ever got to show itself. He let himself get consumed by the crowd, children of all shapes and sizes everywhere. It was both tiring and fun for him to swim through them, passing stories of his bravery whilst simultaneously avoiding their merciless attacks. Somehow he managed to slip out unnoticed and found himself facing a young girl. He sighed as he readied for another display of the frenzy behaviour which seemed native to their species but she sat still, head down, oblivious to his presence. He crept forward and took a seat beside here, back against the wall and leg stretched out in front of him. “Hey” he said, with as much compassion as he could muster.

With a sniffle the child raised her head and looked at him, “Are you, are you Keith Kogay?”

His face flushed with red, both because of her rendition of Keith’s last name and the fact that she thought he was him of all people. “I’m actually James,” the light left her expression so he hurried to find what she liked about Keith, “are you a fan of the Black Lion?” he ventured.

The question yielded perfect results. Again her face lit up and she leapt up, clearly anticipating what James would tell her next. “I’ve seen the lion and it flies really fast, but do you know what’s even better than that?” his risk payed off as she was still soaking up his words despite the diversion of topic, “I pilot a ship called the MFE Fighter Jet and it’s super fast!” He opened his arms and she eagerly accepted the invitation. Holding her in between his hands he stood up, “My ship can from here to there like this” he ran forward, dropping her up and down to simulate the joy of a flight and her giggles were the reassurance he needed to confirm she was enjoying the experience. “Mr James” she began in between breaths, “do you think I can become a pilot one day?”

He stopped in his tracks and held her still, “I promise you that you will be the pilot you want to and can be. You are a very smart and talented girl and you can do it if you try.” Her face was still placid, maybe it was best to dial back the seriousness, “we can’t let the people with mullets pilot us everywhere” She giggled and so did he. Things felt good.

The children couldn’t stay much longer so he said goodbye to the girl, who he had discovered was named Ada, and made his way back to his room hoping that Kinkade would still be there because he now knew exactly what to say.

 

“A look into James Griffin- take two”

“I personally think every pilot should have a reason behind what they do, something that pushes them to be the best them, for me it was my mother.” He took in a breath and smiled, this was positive and he wouldn’t let any sadness overtake him, “she never got to go back home, money was tight and things were tough but she told me stories of her old life and my family and I think they kept us both going. I used to tell my mom that I would fly her home, with my father too of course. Along the way that little child’s fantasy became real, I researched everything there was about planes and when the Garrison came to our school I was more than ready to be the pilot they wanted.”

When he really thought about it he would not be where he was currently without Shiro, if he didn’t choose him, and Keith, it would have been a lot harder to get a place in the Garrison.

 “What was it like adjusting to your new life in the Garrison?” Ryan prompted.

“It was pretty tough at first, didn’t get to take too much of my life with me. But there was one thing that I had… a gift I cherished. It was a small stone statue of a Griffin, get it because of the name?” Ryan nodded slowly but made no effort to laugh, “as I was saying I had this small figurine thing and it was actually a gift from my family, my mom’s family. It was the first and only gift I received from them and so I loved it even more. But it broke on the first week.”

That day he experienced a whirlwind of emotions, all he wanted was to go home, back to the sanctum of his mother’s embrace. He also wanted to discover who had broken the griffin in the first place. That day began relatively normally, a shower before leaving for breakfast in the canteen but when he returned things were fishy. His door was slightly ajar and as he crept in he saw the shattered remains of his griffin across the floor.

Anger consumed him but Iverson’s commands rang out from the speaker and he was forced to leave his room behind for a flight simulation. The same flight simulation that ultimately cemented his rivalry with Keith.

Maybe if he wasn’t mad he wouldn’t have let the words tumble out of his mouth but they did and he faced the consequences when Keith delivered a surprisingly strong punch straight to his face. Yes it was wrong for Keith to do that but he hated himself for provoking him just as a way to let out his own anger- they could have been friends but that mistake altered the course of their friendship drastically.

He pushed through the rest of the interview half-heartedly, thoughts eating away at him inside his chest, was it too late to say sorry? Ryan left the room, thanking him for the day and he murmured his goodbyes but his mind was elsewhere; he knew exactly what to do.

 

“Hey” He leaned against the wall as casually as possible, watching the Black Paladin as he walked out of his lion with a pile of straw in hand, “hay?”

Keith smiled as he dumped the hay in a bin which immediately retracted back into the wall, “is everything ok?” he asked calmly.

“Just wanted to talk”

Taking off his helmet he began walking, “talk and walk?”

“Remember when we were in the Garrison, our first week?” James asked.

“Yeah, feels like forever since that happened”

“I don’t think anyone would have guessed we’d end up fighting aliens in space”

Keith smiled, “we’ve come a long way”

James stopped, he had to do it now, “Keith. I have to say I am sorry, I’m so sorry for what I said to you when we were younger, I really didn’t know what I was doing and I just said whatever and then I never even tried to make amends so-“

Keith took a step back, “we were 13. I think my punch balanced things out anyway” he joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

“It was a very good punch”

“How about a rematch in the training deck?” Keith asked, half joking half serious.

“I see how it is, I apologise and you want to fight”

They stood silently before he added, “you better get ready to lose Kogane”

It was safe to say that they had made up. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!! <3
> 
> Follow Hay on Twitter @galrakcith because she is amazing and is super funny so it's a great investment


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